4. Elastica | Connection

"Connection" by Elastica from the album Elastica (1994)

Of all of Britpop's top tier, Elastica came up the
fastest - it's worth
remembering that when their 1995 self-titled album became the fastest-selling
debut in UK history, it topped the record Oasis had just set seven months
prior. Perhaps it's because Elastica is such an urgent
record, with the glammy oomph of "Connection" powering them to the top with
handclaps and two-note synth riffs. Justine Frischmann was the movement's ice queen,
matching the yearning dandyism of her male counterparts with a glassy stoicism
that managed to filter frostily through the speakers even as it rocked as
snappily as the best of her competition. Many wag a finger at the band for
their blatant Wire appropriation, but Mssrs. Newman and Co. should have written
Frischmann a cheque instead of the other way around, if only for bringing this sort of
herky-jerky crunch back from the dead in such an effortless manner.